Holyrood could get new powers in first year of Tory government, says Clarke

Published on Friday 27 November 2009 21:39

ONE of the leading members of David Cameron's front-bench team has said he sees no reason why proposals to increase the Scottish Parliament's powers should not be brought forward in the first year of any Conservative government.

Former chancellor Ken Clarke's comments to a gathering of business people and academics in Edinburgh yesterday appeared to calm fears that a new Tory government would put the reforms of devolution into the long grass.

Mr Clarke, who is shadow business secretary, added to the support for the work done by the commission into devolution chaired by Sir Kenneth Calman.

He also attempted to allay fears that the Conservatives are opposed to Holyrood having greater powers over raising taxation.

And he told the audience at the event organised by the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) that devolution had been a great success.

"There are still discussions over what will go into the programme for the first year and I can't decide that here, but I would have thought we would go ahead with the Calman reforms pretty quickly," he said.

"I think it is a sensible approach which seems to be the logical next step devolution process.

"It is important that the Scottish Parliament is able to raise its own taxes so that it is properly accountable."

He later added he felt economic constraints would mean there would be little variation in tax rates north and south of the Border.

"Devolution has been a success and it is now irreversible. I think these changes will also get rid of the rather irritating threat of total separatism which I think would do great damage to both Scotland and England."

He later denied that a "tough" Tory government would help the cause of nationalism, claiming that a process of mutual respect included in the Calman reforms would help tackle that problem.

However, Mr Clarke did admit that if the Conservatives are to succeed in government over the next few years if they win the general election next year then they will have to be "unpopular".

He said: "I liken it to my time with Margaret Thatcher. She never asked me to do a popular thing.

"I've told (shadow chancellor] George (Osborne] that if he gets things right he should expect to be very unpopular in a short time."

Mr Clarke said Labour's approach to the economy was wrong and that Britain could not hope to grow itself out of recession until it starts tackling its debt problem.

He said that more than 1 trillion worth of debt was the biggest obstacle to growth. And he pleased his audience by telling them that the next government "will have to be the most business-friendly one in history".

Mr Clarke is the latest in a succession of leading Tory figures to visit Scotland's capital in an effort to win two key Westminster seats at the next general election.

He was speaking at the Tusitala restaurant in the Edinburgh South constituency, one of the Conservatives' main Scottish targets for the next election, along with Edinburgh South West, the seat of Chancellor Alistair Darling.